Lula and Bolsonaro Trade Attacks on Spending and Crime in Rio Debate

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and challenger Flavio Bolsonaro met Friday in the final debate of the presidential campaign, two days before Sunday's runoff. The exchange was broadcast on TV Globo from Rio de Janeiro.

Lula criticized Bolsonaro's plan to cut public spending, comparing it to the approach taken by Argentina's Javier Milei. Bolsonaro responded that he would need to do the same work because, he said, Lula is leaving the country bankrupt. Bolsonaro, a senator and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, accused Lula of allowing organized crime to expand, pushing families into debt, and failing to lower the cost of living. Lula said of his opponent, "He doesn't know what hunger is," and declared, "He doesn't know Brazil." Bolsonaro asked, "Why are things so expensive?"

Bolsonaro used the nickname "Nine Fingers" for Lula, a term his supporters use that references an accident Lula suffered while working as a metalworker. The 80-year-old president demanded an apology, and Bolsonaro offered one. Lula then called his rival a vigilante, a reference to allegations that Bolsonaro has ties to paramilitary groups in Rio de Janeiro. Bolsonaro said he would classify such groups as "narcoterrorists".

A third exchange involved the mother of a five-year-old killed in a shootout that included a police officer whose lawyer was Bolsonaro. The candidate said he does not believe his client was guilty.

Bolsonaro finished first in the opening round of voting on October 4 with 47 percent to Lula's 45 percent. A Datafolha institute survey published Thursday showed both candidates at 50 percent each, erasing the four-point lead Bolsonaro held in polls released two weeks earlier. Both candidates are scheduled to appear with supporters in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo before Sunday's vote.

The debate was more diplomatic than the first meeting between the two on Sunday, though it still included personal attacks and tense moments.